ABSTRACT
The State, by which we mean the structures that govern and rule societies, has always played an important role in the provision of sport experiences to people. The ancient Olympic Games and other sport festivals were funded and organized by the various city states that made up ancient Greece, and ruling monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages organized an array of tournaments and combat games to hone the skills of their warrior classes (Mechikoff and Estes 1993). As the world became industrialized and modernized, the State expanded its provision of sport activities. In the USA, for example, many government-funded schools and colleges established sport facilities ranging from manicured playing fi elds and small indoor arenas to large stadia seating anywhere from 10,000 to 80,000 spectators (Fort 2010).
